India, Feb. 22 -- For the first time in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup, the number of participating teams was pushed up to 20. This is a great sign for cricket's global aspirations-more teams, greater eyeballs and increased chances for an upset or two.

All good so far, but the problem (at least from a neutral fan's perspective) comes after that. The four Groups of five teams each meant there was little chance of a comeback after a single poor result. This meant that among the last round matches of the league stage, instead of being the most exciting, many were dead rubbers.

But that was that, as the Super 8s were expected to ramp up the intensity. To borrow from Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, "Asli (Real) tournament starts no...